Delhi: Leela hotel cheat who impersonated as UAE royalty arrested

According to Delhi Police, a man impersonating an official of the government of the United Arab Emirates was detained for allegedly duping a hotel in the national capital by escaping without paying his outstanding bill of more than Rs 20 lakhs.

According to the police, the individual, named as Mahamed Sharif (41), from Karnataka’s Dakshin Kannada, showed a phoney business card and stayed at the hotel for about three months last year. He escaped with hotel goods and without paying his outstanding bills, incurring the hotel a substantial loss of Rs 23,46,413.

Following the event, on January 14, this year, the police submitted a FIR at the Sarojini Nagar police station on the allegation of Anupam Das Gupta, who claimed to be the hotel’s General Manager.

A team was constituted based on the complaint to nab the absconding accused and efforts were made to trace the accused.

Sharif was apprehended on January 19 from Dakshin Kannada and was produced before the court.
According to the police, the accused checked into the hotel with a fake business card and impersonated himself as an important functionary of the Government of United Arab Emirates (office of His Highness Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan).

“He also gave a resident card of the United Arab Emirates on his arrival on 1st August 2022. After staying for about 3.5 months, the accused fled from the hotel with hotel valuables and submitted a post-dated cheque worth INR 20 Lakhs, but due to insufficient funds the cheque bounced which clearly signified his malafide intentions and a clear intent to deceive the hotel authorities,” the police said.

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